The present invention relates to methods of intermittent combustion of fuel and to detonation combustion chambers and may be used in plants performing the conversion of the chemical energy of fuel into electric power by means of MHD generators, in order to produce intermittent light emission, generate powerful sonic perturbations and organize the combustion process in prime movers.
The method of detonation combustion of fuel mixture is known. The detonation combustion differs from the deflagration combustion by elevated pressure, temperature and speed of the combustion products which, for the gas detonation, attain the values of 30 atm, 4000.degree.K and 1000m/s respectively with a normal initial state of the fuel mixture.
High speeds of the detonation combustion of up to 3000- 4000 m/s makes it difficult to enable a continuous detonation combustion of fuel in the combustion chambers since they require corresponding high rates of fuel supply. The cyclic detonation combustion, which is characterized by admissible rates of filling of the combustion chamber with fuel with subsequent positive ignition and practically instantaneous combustion of fuel, makes it possible to overcome this difficulty.
From the viewpoint of the thermal stress of the combustion chamber, as well as in the case of MHD generating production of light emission and in other technical applications of the chamber, the cyclic detonation combustion may be of practical interest at frequencies of up to scores and hundreds of c/s.